Hair clipper



Nov. 15, 1932. F. N. TOMPKINS ET Al. 1,887,968

HAIR GLIPPER Filed Dec. 28, 1928 Patented Nov. l5, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I IFREDERCK N. TOMPKINS, OF PAWTUCKET, ANP IRVING- 0. MINER, OF EAST GREENWICH, .RHGDE ISLAND, ASSIGNORS T0 BROWN AN D SHARPE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A

CQREFQEZATEON 0F RHDE E`SLAND nein cnrrrnn implication lecl Eecember 28, 1928., Serial No. 329,099.

which Will be relatively inexpensive to manufacture.

IThe invention is intended primarily as an improvement in electrically driven hair clip` pers oit the vibratory type Whichv are designed to run in synchronisni with an alternating current and which comprise an electro-magnet and a vibrating armature.. Hair .clippers o' this type are commonly designed to operate with an ordinary ll() volt, 60 cycle alternating current so that the movable cutter blade is driven at a speed ot approximately itl vibrations a minute. At this high speed there is a tendency `for the clipper to develop excessive vibration with consequent objectionable noise vvear and tear on the parts. Also, on account of the high speed, difficulty is experienced in producing a clipper in which the movable cutting blade Will have a uniform and suiciently Wide amplitude ot movement during the operation of the clipper., l f

To remedy these and other detects of prior clippers ot the vibratory type, an important feature oit the present invention consists in the provision of an armature tor actuating the movable blade of the clipper which is pivotally mounted intermediate its ends, and in arranging the poles of the electro-magneten opposite sides of the armature and at opposite sides oi' the pivot. A balanced pull on the armature about its pivot is thus secured with an exceptionally compactand eilicient arrangement orn the parts whereby Wear on the armature pivot is-,reduced and the armature can be operated at the desired high rate of speed Without producing objectionable vibration of the entire apparatus.

Another Jfeature ofthe invention Which not only is adapted to reducey vibration of the apparatus but which is particularly designed to secure a Wide amplitude of movement of the movable cutter blade,v consists in the use ot a spring or springs acting directly on the cutter blade so as to tend to hold it in rest position yieldingly against movement in either direction. lilith this construction the springs can be designed so that theblade together with its spring or springs will have a natural period of vibration substantially equal to the Vfrequency with Which the blade is reciprocated or vibrated by" the electronnagnet and armature. rl`his :teature ot the invention is preferably used in connection with means acting on the armature tending to hold the armature away from the magnet poles in rest position yieldin'ly against movement in either direction. Accordingly another Tt`ea ture ot' the invention consists in the use ot what may be termed a balanced spring system for returning the armature and the mov- I able cutter blade to their rest positions and "for yieldingly holding them against movement in these positions. ln the construction hereinafter illustrated and described, this balanced sprinvf' system consists of two springs or sets or springs arranged to act respectively on the armatureV and on the movable cutter blade.

A further feature of the invention consists in arranging the spring or springs which act upon the movable cutter so that the cutter is not only held yieldingly in rest position but is also pressed yieldingly into engagement with the fixed cutter blade so that the armature or other drivin'g part is relieved of this function and consequently the Wear on the connection between the armature or other driving part and the movable cutter blade is reduced to a minimum.

The several features ont the invention consists also in the devices, combinations, and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed which, together with the advantages to be obtained thereby, will be readily understood by one skilled in the art from the following description taken in connection withV the accompanying drawing.

Fig. l is a plan view of an electrically driven hair clipper embodying the several features of the invention with a portion of the casing broken away to show parts beneath; Fig.. 2 is a view in side elevation corresponding to Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a detail plan brate an armature cooperating therewith in synchronism with the alternations of the current. For the reasons hereinbefore stated, the armature is pivoted intermediate its ends, and the poles of the magnet are oifset so as to act on opposite sides of the armature at opposite i sides of the pivot. Coiled springs are pro- Y vided which engage the rear end of the armature and tend to hold it yieldingly in rest position away from the poles of the electromagnet. Twospring lingers or bars are also provided which engage slots in the'movable cutter and tend to holdv the cutter in rest position yieldingly against movement in either direction. These springs cooperate with the coil springs .which engage the rear end of the armature and with them constitute a balanced spring system tending yieldingly to hold the armature and the movable cutter in their rest positions and enabling the armature and the cutter blade driven thereby to vibrate freely in synchronism with the alternating current.

Referring more speciiically to the draw.- ing, the casing or handle of the clipper is indicated at 6, andthe stationary cutter at 8 rigidly secured toyone end of the casing 6 .by means of screws 10. A movable cutter blade 12 is mounted to reciprocate in ways 14 formed on the upper face of the fixed cutter.

The mechanismor actuating the movable cutter comprises. an armature 16 which is mounted to move freely about. a pivot 18,v

placed at a point intermediate the endsof the armature and is adapted to turn in bearings 19 formed in a skeleton frame 20 mounted within the support. The armature is builtI up of a series of thin laminations and a thick lamination 22 which is elongated into a forwardly extending arm 24 adapted to engage a. corresponding slot 26 formed in a block 28 on the movable cutter 12; V At its rear end, the lamination or bar 22 extends upwardly to form a seat for the springs controlling the movement of the armature.'y

The electro-magnet which cooperates with the armature comprises afield built up of thin laminations indicated at 30 and a coil 32 which is connected through a' switch A34 armature and the ends of the laminations 30 comprising the ield are carried forwardly to form poles indicated respectively at 35 and 37. In order to secure the most efficient operation of the parts at high speeds and also to reduce vibration, the poles of the magnet are offset so that they act upon portions of the armature on opposite sides of the pivot 18 to produce a. balanced pull on the armature.

The armature is held yieldingly in rest position away from the poles 35 and 37 of the magnet by means of two coiled springs 40 and 42 which are interposed between two arms "of the skeleton frame 20 and the rear end of the armature 16. An adjustment of the compression spring 40 may be effected to tune it as may be necessary or desirable by means of a set screw 43 which is mounted in one arm of the skeleton frame 20 and forms a seat for one end of the spring. i Preferably the spring 40v is so designed and arranged that the vcoils close up or seat before the armature comes in contact with the poles, as indicated in Fig.. 3. The spring thus forms a` stop for the armature, and the noise and vibration which would result if the armature were allowed to come in contact with the poles is avoided.

In the present construction the action of the coiled springs 40 and 42 on the rear end of the armature is supplemented and balanced by the action of two spring fingers or bars 44 rigidly secured at their rear ends in a block 46 and at their forward ends engaging slots 48 extending transversely across the movable vcutter 12. These spring lingers tend to hold lthe movable cutter in rest position yieldingly against movement in either direction, and in addition to cooperating with the springs 40 and' 42 to tune the moving parts of the `en tire apparatus substantially to the frequenc of the alternating current, may be utilize by designing them of the proper strength, to tune the natural period of vibration of the alternating current or to the rate of the movements imparted to the armature. A uniform and wide amplitude of movement is thus readily imparted to the movable blade, and Wear and objectionable noise at the connecting points between the armature arm 24 andthe block 28 is eliminated. With this construction and arrangement of the springs for returning blade andsprings to the frequency of the for the blade in the opposite direction, so

that the strain which Vwould otherwise be thrown upon the pivotal connection betweenw the armature and the blade l2 is reduced to a very' small amount. Also, it is to be noted that the blade tuning springs 44 act in a direction opposite to that in which the armature tuning springs and 42 act, whereby their reaction, tending to produce vibration of the entire apparatus, is partly neutralized.

In the present construction also, the requisite tension between the blades or, in Vother words, the pressure of the movable cutter against the fixed cutter, is'secured through the spring lingers 44, and to this end the block 46 to which the fingers 44 are secured is mounted to rotate about an axis determinedl by two pivot pins 50 on corresponding arms 52 of the skeleton frame 20. The block 46 is acted upon by means of a coiled tension spring 54 secured at one end to the casing 6 of the clipper and at the other end to a hookshaped member 56 projecting from the block 46, the arrangement being such that by the action of the spring 54 the lingers 44 are rpressed yieldin ly against the movable cutter. rIfhe Inova le cutter is thus held at all times inl close contact with the fixed cutter bv lmeans acting independently of the driving` connect-ions, consisting of the arm 24 and the slotted block 28, between the armature and the movable cutter.

The nature and scope of the present invention having been indicated and an apparatus embodying the several features f the invention in their preferred forni having been specilically described, what is claimed is:

1. A hair clipper having, in combination, a

lmovable cutter blade, a cutter blade cooperating therewith, an electro-magnet, an armature movable towards and from the poles of theI magnet and connected to the movable blade, and unitary spring'tensioning means engaging the movable yblade to press it against the cooperating blade and tending to hold the movable blade in rest position yieldingly against movement by the armature in either direction.

2. A hair clipper having, in combination, a movable blade,Y a blade cooperating therewith, an electro-magnet, a pivotally mounted armature pivotally connected to the movable blade and having a movement towards Land from the poles of the magnet,'sprng means engaging the armature/andtending to hold .the armature in rest position away from the magnet poles yieldngly against movement in either direction, and additional spring means engaging ,they movable blade to press it against the cutter blade and tending to hold the movable blade in rest position yieldingly against movement by the armature in either direction.

3. A hair clipper having, in combination, a casing, a movable blade mounted in the casing, a blade cooperating therewith, an velectro-magnet, an armature for the electro-magnet mounted for movement toward and away from the poles of the magnet and connected to oscillate the movable blade, a spring member pivotally secured to the casing and tensioned to resist the pull of the electro-magnet on the armature andthe blade, and additional spring means for moving the spring member about its pivotal connection withthe casing to hold the movable blade yieldingly in contact with the cooperating blade.

4. A hair clipper having, in combination, a casing, al movable blade mounted in the casing, a blade cooperaeting therewith, an electro-magnet, an armature for the electro magnet mounted for movement toward and away from the poles of the magnet and connected to oscillate the movable blade, a spring member pivotally mounted in the casing for movement towards and away from the movable blade and connected thereto to resist the pull of the electro-magnet on the armature nected to. oscillate the movable blade,

spring mechanismnfor moving the movable blade and armature 1n a direction contrary-to the pull of the electro-magnet comprising parallel spring members engaging with the movable blade, a supporting bracket in which the'spring members are carried pivotally mounted in the casing to move the spring members towards and away from the blades, and spring means tending tolrotate the said bracket aboutits pivot in a direction to `hold the movable blade yieldingly in engagement with the cooperating blade. L

f 6. In a clipper, the combination with a casing, of a stationary clipper blade carried by the casing, a movable clipper blade cooper.- ating therewith, guiding means for imparting fto the movable blade a straight line movement parallel yto the cutting face oi the xed blade, an electro-magnet, an armature mounted to swing about a rpivot on the ciasingftoward and away troni the poles oi the magnet and having a,A pivotal connection with the movable blade, spring means engaging the armature tending to hold the armature in an magnet poles yieldingly against movement in either direction, and additional spr-lng means engaging the movable blade and tending to hold the blade in an intermediate rest position yieldingly against movement by the armature in either direction, the said movable blade and additional spring means being arranged to comprise a separate unit having a natural periodvof vibration substantially equal to the impressed requency of the ar mature.

7. lln a clipper of the class described, the combination of a stationary blade, a movable blade arranged to move relatively to said stationary blade, mechanism engaging with the movable blade or imparting vibratory movements thereto, and a separate unitary, oscillating and tensioning means for said movable blade, said means comprising a spring member engaging With the movable blade arranged to cooperate with said vibratory mechanism to oscillate the movablevblade, and to yieldingly engage the cooperating blades with each other.

8. In a clipper ofthe 'class described, the combination of a stationary blade, a movable cutter blade arranged to move relatively to said stationary blade, mechanism enga ing with the movable blade for imparting vi ratory movements thereto, and a separate unitary, oscillating and tension means for said movable cutter blade, said means comprising a pair of spring members engaging with the movable blade arranged to cooperate with said vibratory mechanism to oscillatek the movable cutter blade, and. to yieldingly engage the cooperating blades with each other.

9. In a clipper of the class described, the combination of a casing, a stationary blade secured to the casing, a movable cutter blade slidably mounted upon said stationary blade, and unitary, oscillating and tension means for said movable cutter blade, said means comprising parallel spring members engaging with the movable blade for controlling the oscillatory movements of the blade, a supporting bracket in which the spring members are carried pivotally mounted in the casing to move the spring member toward and away from the blades, and spring means tending to rotate said bracket about its pivot in a direction to hold the movable blade yieldingly in engagement with the cooperating blade. A In testimony whereof we have signed ournames to this specification.k y t FREDERICK N. TOMPKINS. IRVIN G O. MINER. 

